By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

Need a reason to get the Prince of  Persia?

The just released 3-disc Blu-ray combo pack (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) includes not only a standard DVD and Blu-ray versions  of the film, but also a digital copy for your laptop and or other personal electronic device.

Prince of Persia was not a huge hit when it was released theatrically earlier this year, but it is the kind of action/adventure that just screams “buy me in Blu-ray.”

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a young prince forced to flee after he is blamed for the death of his adopted father, the ruler of a vast empire.

Further complicating his life is a reluctant princess from another land (played by Gemma Arterton), who is on the run with him. The two of them risk their lives a lot to protect a magical dagger  that gives its possessor the power to reverse time and rule the world.

There are no pirates in sight, but the feel of Prince of Persia is similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and that isn’t accidental. It is a Jerry Bruckheimer film and  directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). It’s a fun outing if you don’t  have particularly high expectations in your adventure films. There are lots of fun stunts and movie never strays beyond PG rating territory so it is good family entertainment.  Prince of Persia also stars Ben Kingsley as our prince’s villainous uncle.

Available as just a single disc Blu-ray or DVD, the combo pack has plenty of extras including  CineExplore: The Sands of Time, that lets you use the magical dagger and turn back time for special features such as filming in Morocco and even ostrich jockey tryouts.

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If you remember The Black Cauldron you are definitely in the minority.

I never saw this Disney animated film when it was released in 1985. It was one of Disney’s biggest animated failures costing $25 million to make, and it wasn’t able to even make that sum at the box office.

Disney has just released the 25th anniversary edition of the film, and boy does The Black Cauldron deserve a second chance at success.

This sometimes very dark film (it was Disney’s first

PG rated animated film) is one to add to the viewing list with Halloween quickly approaching.

Based on Welsh  mythology and  the Chronicles of Prydain books, it’s the tale of a boy named Taran who dreams of becoming a great warrior. His reality is being an apprentice pig keeper. But Hen Wen is no ordinary pig. The pig is an oracle and can tell the future.

The Black Cauldron also boasts one of Disney’s more underrated villains — the Horned King (voiced by John Hurt). The evil king kidnaps Hen Wen in the hopes the pig can show him where to find the Black Cauldron, which can be used to create a legion of undead (and invincible) warriors.

It’s up to Taran, and his fellowship (a princess, a bard and pesky creature) to save the world from evil.

It would have been nice to see the complete The Black Cauldron. Disney excecutives deemed the original film too dark in 1985 and edited it before its release. The only addition here is the deleted Fairfolk scene, told mostly in storybook drawing form.

The animation of The Black Cauldron is quite impressive overall, a mix of early computer graphic and ink.

Bonus features include a vintage Halloween cartoon with Donald Duck and his nephews and a witch and The Witches Challenge Game, a trivia game with questions about the film.